Deadmau5 Donates $30K to Rescue 27 Cats from Ontario Home

Full Funding for 27-Cat Rescue

Deadmau5 has covered the entire $30,000 cost to rescue 27 cats pulled from a single household in Ontario. The Humane Society of Oakville, Milton & Halton posted an appeal in late May explaining that the animals, ranging from three months to three years old, had never received veterinary care. The organization needed funds for spay and neuter surgeries, intake exams, vaccinations, microchipping, and ongoing care before the cats could be adopted.

A few days after the post went live, the producer—whose real name is Joel Zimmerman—showed up in the comments with four words: "I got you." He wired the full amount without hesitation.

Shelter Leadership Responds

"We've had many memorable moments at the shelter, but opening Instagram to find a message from deadmau5 was definitely one we didn't see coming," Jeff Vallentin, the nonprofit's Executive Director, told Billboard. "We're incredibly grateful for his generosity and, just as importantly, for the awareness he's brought to our shelter and the animals in our care. It's a rare and meaningful thing when someone with such a large platform chooses to shine a light on animal welfare and help more people understand the work we do every day."

Community Vote on Cat Names

Zimmerman, who volunteers with the Toronto Humane Society and has three rescue cats of his own, didn't stop at the donation. He posted to his Instagram Stories asking fans to help name all 27 cats, linking a Patreon page where submissions are being collected for a community vote.

Last year, Zimmerman released Meowingtons Simulator, a tribute to his late cat of the same name, who passed away in August 2023. Developed under his own Oberha5li Studios banner and powered by Epic Games' Unreal Engine, it's a rhythm-based rag doll game where players control a digitized, dancing Meowingtons in a virtual nightclub. "Meowingtons was basically a rag doll in real life," he told EDM.com in a candid interview at the time. "You'd pick him up and he'd just flop. You could make him dance and he was just cool with it, which was really funny."

The cats are currently receiving care and will be available for adoption once their medical needs are fully addressed.